My Story: It all started when I lost my first child. He was born with fluid in his lungs, and I only had him for one day. That began eight months of depression; I hardly uttered a word to anyone and spent a lot of time eating. Then I got pregnant again, piled on more pounds, and gave birth to a baby girl, Olivia, who's now 8. Even though I was thrilled to finally be a mother, I kept on bulking up. My husband brought tons of junk food into the house, so that's pretty much all I ate.

Worst Moment: I had always wanted to try horseback riding, so one day I went to a stable. But as I was about to get into the saddle, a staffer came running over and said that I couldn't ride. He explained that I would be a liability because I weighed too much. I was so hurt, I cried for the rest of the day.

Turning Point: After I'd gotten into an argument with my husband, I went out with some pals in Philadelphia, where I live. I was confiding to a friend, who told me that I deserved much better treatment and that I was beautiful. I said, "Are you kidding? I'm 260 pounds!" He replied, "It doesn't matter; you have a great heart, you're a great mother, and you're a fighter." I felt so encouraged that the very next day I started exercising.

How I Lost It: Someone told me that jumping rope burns more calories than jogging, so I tried it. In the beginning, I could only do 10 skips. Now I'm up to around 2,500 jumps a day, which takes less than an hour. (The best part is that I can do it indoors when the weather's bad.) I also cut out junk food and started eating fruits, veggies, meat, and whole grains. Breakfast is my biggest meal — a couple of times a week, I'll even eat a steak. (It gives me energy all day.) I was slimming down, but things with my husband kept getting harder; we divorced about a year later. Even so, I stuck to my healthy-eating plan.

Favorite Tricks: Moderation is my best weapon. When I'm out at restaurants, I don't order a heaping bowl of pasta, and I don't stuff myself with bread (even if it's whole wheat). Exercise is crucial, so you have to find stuff you actually enjoy doing (the more fun it is, the more often you'll do it). Personally, I love to turn on disco music and dance around the room.

Biggest Payoff: Knowing that I'm setting a good example for my daughter.